Apparatus for opening collapsed box blanks



Jan. 24, 1967 c. 1.. GOODE APPARATUS FOR OPENING COLLAPSED BOX BLANKS :5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 27, 1964 lnvenfor Chesfer L. Goode W044 W WWW Jan. 24, 1967 c. GOODE APPARATUS FOR OPENING COLLAPSED BOX BLANKS Filed April 27, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I l lllllllIll/IIII/Ihll/III/ll/l/II/Il ll In venlor Chesfer L. Goode A TTYS.

Jan. 24, 1967 c. L. GOODE APPARATUS FOR OPENING COLLAPSED BOX BLANKS Filed April 27, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 15 Inventor L Goode A TT Y5.

United States Patent f 3,299,784 APPARATUS FOR OPENING COLLAPSED BOX BLANKS Chester L. Geode, Rte. 3, Morris, 11]. 60450 Filed Apr. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 362,753 Claims. (Cl. 93-53) The present invention relates generally to apparatus for opening collapsed box blanks and, more particularly, to an improved machine for automatically opening collapsed box blanks while the blanks are continuously advanced seriatim.

It is a primary object of the present invention to pro vide an improved automatic box blank' opening machine which operates on a continuous basis without any intermittent movement of the box blanks. It is another object to provide such a machine which continuously advances the box blanks with their open ends leading and trailing, rather than being disposed transversely to the direction of movement of the blanks. Yet another object is to provide such a machine which can be operated at relatively high speeds without damaging the blanks.

It is a further object of the invention to" providean improved box blank opening machine of the foregoing type in which the opening mechanism remains substantially stationary. Conversely, it is an object of the invention to provide such a machine which avoids the necessity of advancing and retracting the opening mechanism. A related object is to provide such a machine in which all the moving parts of the machine move continuously in the same direction. Thus, it is another object to provide such a machine which is relatively simple to construct and maintain and which has a relatively long operating life due to the minimum amount of wear on the moving parts.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an improved machine for automatically opening collapsed box blanks in a continuous manner while providing a positive forming action on the blanks. In this connection, it is an object to provide such a machine which does not rely solely on the creases or fold lines in the box blanks to open the blanks to the desired shape.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic box blank opening machine of the foregoing type which can be used, with only minor adjustment, to open a wide range of different sized blanks. A still further object is to provide such a machine which is readily adapted for integration with box closing and filling machines.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description and appended claims and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of an automatic box blank opening machine showing several box blanks at various stages in the machine;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the various chains and lugs for transporting the box blanks through the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the spreading device used to initially split apart the two plies of the box blanks in the machine of FIG. 1, and showing the spreading device at various positions in its rotational path of travel;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tapered forming block and the folding arm which complete the opening of the box blanks;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevation view of the various 3,299,784 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 native arrangement for restraining the forming block against movement in the longitudinal direction; and

FIG. 8 is an end elevation of the spreading device shown in FIG. 3.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover the various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings and referring first to FIG. 1, the collapsed box blanks 10 to be opened are stacked in a hopper 11 mounted on a supporting frame 12 over the machine bed 12a. In the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, the hopper 11 is composed of two vertical channel members 13 adapted to hold the blanks 10 in a straight stack with each channel member 13 having a slot at its bottom edge to permit the withdrawal of the blanks one at a time from the bottom of the stack. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, each of the flat blanks 10 includes an upper ply and a lower ply which are unconnected at opposite ends of the blank. The main body portion of each blank is provided with suitable creases or fold lines so that the blank for-ms a rectangular container when opened, and the unconnected ends of the two plies are slit to form suitable closure flaps for closing the ends of the container.

For the purpose of withdrawing the individual box blanks from the hopper 11 and transporting them through the remainder of the machine, a plurality of longitudinal endless chain belts 14 are provided with a series of small transport lugs 15 adapted to engage the edges of the box blanks and convey them through the machine, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The lugs 15 protrude from the supporting transport chains 14 sufficiently to engage only a single blank, and the lugs on each chain are spaced apart by a distance greater than the lengths of the blanks so that a predetermined clearance is maintained between adjacent blanks as they are advanced through the machine. To support and drive the transport chain belts 14, two sets of sprockets 16 and 17 are journalled on opposite ends of the frame 12, with the sprockets 17 being driven by a motor 18 through a system of belts and pulleys as shown in FIG. 1. In the particular embodiment illustrated in the drawings, three transport chain belts 14 are provided, with two of the chains extending the full length of the machine and the third chain extending only from the sprockets 16 to an intermediate sprocket 19 to insure a smooth withdrawal of the fully flattened blanks 10 from the hopper 11. As can be seen in FIG. 6a, the upper run of each transport chain rides in a mating groove in the upper surface of the machine bed 12a.

In order to initiate the opening of each box blank as it is withdrawn from the hopper, a suitable lifting device is provided to split the two plies of the blank apart at its leading edge. Thus, as shown most clearly in FIG. 3, a sharp finger or needle 20 is provided to engage the upper ply of the blank and lift it away from the lower ply. For the purpose of lifting the needle 20, it is mounted on one end of an arm 21 which is rigidly attached at its other end to the shaft of a sprocket 22. The sprocket 22 and its shaft are driven by a chain 23 and sprocket 24 which in turn are driven by the motor 18 via a drive sprocket 24a at the same speed as the transport chain belts 14.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the sprockets 22 and 42 are eccentrically mounted so that the speed of the arm 21 which carries the lifting needle 20 changes during its rotation, reaching a minimum at its lowermost position and a maximum at its uppermost position. This in turn causes the speed of the needle 21 to vary in the same manner, i.e., with the lowest velocity being achieved at the lowermost position of the arm 21 where the needle engages the upper ply of the blank 10. Moreover, the speed of the needle 21 is such that it is actually traveling at a slower velocity than the blank at its lowermost position so that the blank is advanced against the needle causing the needle to become embedded in the upper ply of the blank. Then as the needle continues its rotation and moves upwardly away from the advancing blank, lifting the upper ply of the blank away from the lower ply, the speed of the needle gradually increases until the needle withdraws from the advancing blank and continues on around for engagement with the next blank. It will be apparent that the speed of the needle must not only be adjusted to cause the needle to become embedded in the leading edge of the blank, but also the period of revolution of the needle must be synchronized with the conveyor chains 14 so that the needle always reaches its lowermost position just as the leading edge of the next blank is advanced to that same position. In order to tune the lifting needle assembly for various sizes of box blanks, the lock nut 24b which holds the drive sprocket 24a is loosened so that the complete unit, i.e., the two eccentric sprockets 22 and 24 and their shafts, the drive sprocket 24a and the arm 21 and needle 20, may be rotated to the proper position. The lock nut 24b is then tightened again to hold the lifting needle assembly in its synchronized position. It will be appreciated that the centers of the two sprockets 22 and 24 are offset in the same direction so that there is never any slack in the chain 23.

To insure that the blank 10 is directed firmly against the lifting needle 20, a biased guide 25 is mounted adjacent to the needle so that the guide projects over the blank 10 at the time of engagement. The guide 25 tapers toward the needle and is biased downwardly so as to urge the blank against the machine bed or table as the blank approaches the needle, thereby assuring proper alinement of the upper ply of the blank with the end of the needle.

It will be understood that other lifting devices may be provided to initiate the opening of the box blanks. For example, the leading end of the blank may be split open by applying an upper vacuum to the top surface of the blank so as to lift the upper ply while holding the lower ply to the machine bed by applying a lower vacuum to the bottom surface of the blank.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a tapered forming block adapted to wedge between the split apart plies of the advancing blank and to gradually open the blank as it is advanced over the former with the lower ply passing beneath the former and the upper ply passing over the former, and restraining means are provided for holding the former substantially stationary as the box blank is passed thereover. Thus, in FIG. 1 the leading edge of the blank 10 is advanced onto a tapered forming block while the two plies of the blank are still spread apart. The forming block 30, which is shown most clearly in FIG. 4, wedges between the upper and lower plies of the blank and forces them farther and farther apart as the blank is advanced by the lugs 15 bearing against the lower ply, thereby opening the blank to form a generally rectangular open-ended container.

In carrying out the present invention, the forming block 30 is held substantially stationary as the box blanks are being advanced thereover, thereby eliminating the need for any mechanism to advance and retract the forming device. Thus, the forming block 30 is provided with a longitudinal passageway 31 adapted to receive a plurality of spaced guide members 32 which restrain the block against movement upwardly or in directions transverse to the direction of movement of the blanks. As shown in FIG. 6, the passageway 31 is T-shaped so as to form a pair of longitudinal shoulders 33 which serve as tracks for the guide members 32.

The particular guide members 32 shown in the drawings comprise pairs of roller bearings 34 which are rotatably mounted on brackets 35. The brackets 35 in turn are carried on a primary endless conveyor chain belt 36 which is driven around a pair of sprockets 37 by the motor 18 so that the guide members repeatedly traverse the passageway 31 of the forming block. In order to avoid collisions between the guide members 32 and the box blanks 10, the primary chain belt 36 is driven at the same speed as the'blank transporting belts 14, and the guide members 32 are arranged to fit between the various box blanks so that one guide member leadseach blank and another trails. Moreover, the length of the forming block 30 is substantially longer than the length of the blanks 10 so that two of the guide members 32 are riding through the passageway 31 at all times, thereby insuring that the block 30 is held firmly in position.

To provide further support and stability for the guide members 32, a pair of supplemental roller bearings 38 are suspended from each bracket 35 to engage the undersides of a pair of flanges 39 provided on opposite edges of the machine table. These supplemental bearing members are especially valuable in preventing transverse tipping or swaying of the guide members 32 and the forming block 30.

In accordance with one important aspect of the invention, theforming block 30 is restrained against movement in the longitudinal direction by providing a stationary chain member 40 in the lower surface of the forming block 30 to mesh with a sprocket member 41 rotatably mounted on the bracket 35, and providing a secondary chain drive meshing with the sprocket 41 and driving the sprocket 41 at a rotational velocity the same as that of the primary chain belt 36. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sprocket 41 meshes with a double chain 42 which is driven around a pair of sprockets 43 by the motor 18 at a speed twice that of the primary chain 36. The net eflect of this arrangement is to rotate the sprocket 41, which is already moving linearly along with-the bracket 35, at the same speed as the belt 36 whereby the forming block 30 is effectively restrained against any movement in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the cooperating chain 40 and sprocket 41 serve to maintain the forming block 30 a predetermined distance above the surface of the machine table so as to form a transverse gap or passageway to receive the lower ply of the blank '10.

In order that the forming block 30 may accommodate avariety of different sizes of box blanks, and thereby enhance the versatility of the machine, it is preferred to make the block 30 small enough to receive the smallest type of blanks to be used in any given installation. In this case, however, the block may not be adequate to fully open the largerblanks. Accordingly, as one feature of this invention, there is provided a folding arm mounted along the side of the large end of the block to insure that all blanks are fully opened. Thus, as shown most clearly in FIG. 4, there is provided an elongated blade or arm 50 which is secured to the machine table, as at 51, and extends'upwardly along the side of the block. As the side wall of the partially opened blank engages the arm 50, it is gradually forced into an upright position as the folding arm bends inwardly toward the block. The arm 50 is twisted both to facilitate the erection of the blank and to provide the arm with resiliency in the transverse direction.

It will be appreciated that means other than the chain and sprocket arrangement of FIGS. 16 may be provided to restrain the forming block against longitudinal movement. Thus, in the modified embodiment of FIG. 7, the sprockets 41 and the chain member 40 are replaced by two pairs of cooperating idler rolls 60, 61, and 62, 63, respectively. One roll of each pair is rotatably mounted on the large-end of the block 30, such as the rolls 60 and 62 in FIG. 7. The other two rolls 61 and '63 are rotatably mounted on the frame 12 and are positioned so as to block any longitudinal movement of the block 30, while forming a pair of nearly horizontal nips 64 and 65- which permit the top and bottom plies of the box to pass freely over the block. This arrangement, of course, can be made adjustable to accommodate boxes of different heights.

While various specific forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein in some detail, it will be apparent that the same are susceptible of numerous modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, although the invention has been described with particular reference to the use of guide members which ride through a passageway formed in the lower surface of the forming block, it will be recognized that the passageway could be provided in the top or side walls of the block. Similarly, various other mechanisms could be employed to maintain the forming block in the desired stationary position, such as an arrangement of magnets, for example.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that this invention provides an improved automatic box blank opening machine which advances the box blanks continuously over a stationary former, and is capable of high speed operation. All the moving parts of the machine move continuously in the same direction with no periodically advancing and retracting members. Consequently, the machine is relatively simple to construct and maintain and has a long operating life due to the minimum amount of wear on the moving parts. Moreover, since the stationary former opens the box blanks from the inside, a positive forming action is provided so that the desired box shape is attained regardless of small irregularities in the preformed creases or fold lines in the box blanks. Furthermore, the machine is readily adapted for integration with high speed box filling and closing devices and, in the preferred embodiment, can be used to open a Wide range of different sized blanks with only minor adjustrnents.

I claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for opening a collapsed box blank having an upper ply and a lower ply which are unconnected at opposite ends of the blank, said apparatus comprising the combination of means for advancing the box blank horizontally with one pair of unconnected ply edges at the leading end of the blank and the other pair of unconnected ply edges at the trailing end of the blank, means for splitting the two plies apart at the leading end of the advancing blank, a substantially stationary tapered former adapted to wedge between the split apart plies of the advancing blank and to gradually open the blank as it is advanced over the former with the lower ply passing beneath the former and the upper ply passing over the former, means for restraining the former against movement so as to maintain the former in a substantially sta tionary position as the box blank is passed thereover, the restraining means permitting free withdrawal of said blank from said former.

2. Apparatus for opening a collapsed box blank having an upper ply and a lower ply which are unconnected at opposite ends of the blank, said apparatus comprising the combination of means for advancing the box blank horizontally with one pair of the unconnected ply edges at the leading end of the blank and the other pair of unconnected ply edges at the trailing end of the blank, means for splitting the two plies apart at the leading edge of the advancing blank, a tapered forming block adapted to wedge between the split apart plies of the advancing blank and to gradually open the blank at it is advanced over the former with the lower ply passing beneath the former and the upper ply passing over the former, said former having a longitudinal passageway extending through the lower surface thereof and forming a pair of longitudinal shoulders within said former, a plurality of spaced guide members adapted to ride through said longitudinal passageway in engagement with said shoulders so as to restrain said former against movement in the vertical direction and in directions transverse to the movement of the blank, and means for transporting the guide members through the longitudinal passageway at substantially the same speed as the blank, said former being longer than the box blank and said guide members being spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the blank so that the blank fits betweenthe guide members with two of said guide members riding through said passageway at all times, and means for restraining said forming block against movement in the longitudinal direction whereby said block iscontinuouslymaintained in a substantially stationary position.

3. Apparatus for opening a collapsed box blank having an upper ply and a lower ply which are unconnected at opposite ends of the blank, said apparatus comprising the combination of means for advancing the box blank horizontally with one pair of the unconnected ply edges at the leading end of the blank and the other pair of unconnected ply edges at the trailing end of the blank, a lifting needle rotatably mounted above the advancing box blank, said needle being eccentrically mounted so as to achieve a maximum velocity at its uppermost point in each revolution and a minimum velocity at its lowermost point of each revolution, the minimum velocity of said needle being lower than that of the advancing blank whereby said blank is advanced against said needle at its lowermost position so as to embed the needle in the upper ply of said blank with the continuing rotation of said needle lifting said upper ply away from the lower ply of the blank, a tapered former adapted to wedge between the split apart plies of the advancing blank and to gradually open the blank as it is advanced over the former with the lower ply passing beneath the former and the upper ply passing over the former, said former having a longitudinal passageway extending through one surface thereof and forming a pair of longitudinal shoulders within said former, a plurality of spaced bearing members adapted to ride through said passageway in engagement with said shoulders so as to restrain said former against movement in both the vertical direction and in directions transverse to the movement of the blank, means for transporting the bearing members through the longitudinal passageway at substantially the same speed as the blank, said former being longer than the box blank and said bearing members being spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the blank so that the blank fits between the bearing members with two of the bearing members riding through said passageway at all times, a stationary chain member mounted in the lower surface of said former, a sprocket member meshing with said chain, and means for driving said sprocket member at a speed sufficient to restrain said former against longitudinal movement and to maintain the former in a substantially stationary position.

4, Apparatus for continuously opening collapsed box blanks each having an upper ply and a lower ply which are unconnected at opposite ends of the blank, said apparatus comprising the combination of means for continuously advancing said box blanks seriatim in substantially horizontal positions with one pair of unconnected ply edges at the leading end of each blank and the other pair of unconnected ply edges at the trailing end of each blank, means for slightly spreading the two plies apart at the leading ends of the continuously advancing blanks, a tapered former adapted to receive the spread apart plies of the continuously advancing blanks and to partially open the blanks as they are advanced over the former,

' means for maintaining said former in a substantially stablanks by forcing one side wall of each partially opened blank to an upright position.

5; Apparatus for opening a collapsed box blank having an upper p-ly and a lower ply which are unconnected at opposite ends of the blank, said apparatus comprising the combination of means for advancing the box blank horizontally with one pair of the unconnected ply edges at the leading end of the blank and the other pair of unconnected ply edges at the trailing end of the blank, means for splitting the two plies apart at the leading edge of the advancing blank, a tapered former adapted to wedge between the split apart plies of the advancing blank and to gradually open the blank as it is advanced over the former with the lower ply passing beneath the former and the upper ply passing over the former, said former having a longitudinal passageway extending through one surface thereof and forming a pair of longitudinal shoulders with in said former, a plurality of spaced bearing members adapted to ride through said passageway in engagement with said shoulders so as to restrain said former against movement in both the vertical direction and in directions transverse to the movement of the blank, means for transporting the bearing members through the longitudinal passageway at substantially the'same speed as the blank, said former being longer than the box blank and said bearing members being spaced apart a distance: greater than the length of the blank so that the blank fits between the bearing members with two of the bearing members riding through said passageway at all times, a stationary chain member mounted in the lower surface of said former, a sprocket member meshing with said chain, and means for driving said sprocket member at a speed sufficient to restrain said former against longitudinal movement and to maintain the former in a substantially stationary position.

No references cited.

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR OPENING A COLLAPSED BOX BLANK HAVING AN UPPER PLY AND A LOWER PLY WHICH ARE UNCONNECTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE BLANK, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE BOX BLANK HORIZONTALLY WITH ONE PAIR OF UNCONNECTED PLY EDGES AT THE LEADING END OF THE BLANK AND THE OTHER PAIR OF UNCONNECTED PLY EDGES AT THE TRAILING END OF THE BLANK, MEANS FOR SPLITTING THE TWO PLIES APART AT THE LEADING END OF THE ADVANCING BLANK, A SUBSTANTIALLY STATIONARY TAPERED FORMER ADAPTED TO WEDGE BETWEEN THE SPLIT APART PLIES OF THE ADVANCING BLANK AND TO GRADUALLY OPEN THE BLANK AS IT IS ADVANCED OVER THE FORMER WITH THE LOWER PLY PASSING BENEATH THE FORMER AND THE UPPER PLY PASSING OVER THE FORMER, MEANS FOR RESTRAINING THE FORMER AGAINST MOVEMENT SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE FORMER IN A SUBSTANTIALLY STATIONARY POSITION AS THE BOX BLANK IS PASSED THEREOVER, THE RESTRAINING MEANS PERMITTING FREE WITHDRAWAL OF SAID BLANK FROM SAID FORMER. 